The Lingering Heart: Forged Through Promise
by Silver W. King
Summary: A promise is a silent oath between two people. That oath becomes a bond between their hearts. And through this bond, their light shines brighter than it did alone. If our all hearts were to connect then surely, no darkness can overtake us.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

A promise is a silent oath between two people.

That oath becomes a bond between their hearts.

And through this bond, their light shines brighter than it did alone.

If our all hearts were to connect then surely,

No darkness can overtake us.

* * *

Taylor fell.

Through a seemingly never ending ocean of darkness.

The locker seemed like a distant memory now.

It felt like she had fell forever. Time disappeared for her. As did the world, her fears, anger and worry.

Everything was so far away, as she kept falling. It was nice even. Like the gentle way one tumbles into the realm of sleep.

 _This is dying, isn't it?_ Taylor wondered. _Maybe...maybe it isn't so bad, if its this peacef-_

A wind crash violently into her. Like colliding with a sudden phantom.

The fall was no long slow and gentle. Taylor felt it, as her body gained speed. She saw a destination to her fall in this darkness. A platform made from what seemed like glass.

A picture of a boy - that she didn't have time to discern - upon it, as she crashed into the platform.

Taylor thought she would die from the sudden impact, only for her body to breakthrough the glass as the entire platform shatter with a very loud clang.

More than any physical pain of the impact with the glass platform, the voice that shouted out to her hurt much more.

 _Ven._

A voice, so tired yet so powerful vibrated in her head, and into the very core of her being. Deep into her chest, deeper than where her physical heart is, the voice called out.

And with the voice, images flashed before her eyes, accompanied by emotions visibly shaped enough that she understood belonged not to her.

Warmth. Joy. Mischief. Happiness after sadness or longing had passed.

Emotions she hadn't experienced for a long time, and ones she couldn't help but envy.

A young boy, amber hair and ridiculously stylish clothes (seriously, most capes don't even have stuff that cool and unique. And these seemed like his everyday clothes), stood side by side with a young man, training with oddly shaped swords.

The boy was scolded by the young man, before the young man's expression softened and he patted the boy on the head.

 _"Terra!"_

 _"Take me with you."_

 _"Enough, Terra. He's right..."_

 _"I'm asking you as a friend..."_

There were too many memories flowing into Taylor. She couldn't fully process them.

Another platform came in sight. She could think enough to at least shield her body, distracted by the voices and sound not of her own memory.

She crash through the platform, this one with an image of a blue haired young woman.

 _Aqua._

Another set of images and sounds replaced the ones roaring in her mind.

A young woman, a friend, a rival, fighting, laughing and smiling with the young man and the young boy. They were like an inseparable family.

A friendship beautifully weaved together, that even though the memories were overwhelming, Taylor couldn't help crying at being reminded at the friendship she lost.

 _"I made us good luck charms."_

 _"Terra... Ven ran away from home."_

 _"We make a good team."_

 _"I was told... The Master was struck down."_

Bit by bit Taylor was able to, not comprehend, but have an idea of what the memories showed her.

Three people had once been the best of friends, and yet circumstances forced the apart, only for them to fight to not break their friendship and not lose themselves to their inner demons. A story that filled her heart with ache. She wasn't sure what the ending to their friendship was, only a feeling of dread accompanied that.

Taylor herself only felt sorrow and shame as the memories passed through her. She could help but compare herself to the three friends. They fought for their bond no matter the difficulty, believing in themselves and each other. But herself didn't. She lost her friend and gained a hellish enemy and tormentor.

Why? Why wasn't she strong enough to fight for her bond with Emma?

As the memories shifted in her mind showing more and more events, too rapid for her to understand, but for the simplest of meanings, the feeling of dread grew ever more. The memories to the story of the happy three friends, did not have the warmest of endings. That's the emotion she most felt, and Taylor cried ever more. For if a beautiful friendship like the three friend could end tragically, it meant she never had a chance.

Another platform appeared, and the dread kept growing.

Long before she was even close to fall through this platform, the voice roared and pain engulfed her.

 _XEHANORT!_

Taylor crashed through and this time, the pain was more visible, more real to her senses. However it wasn't from the fall or impact, it was from the voice. With its shout, it brought a new set of emotions. Before the emotions accompanying the memories related to the young boy and young woman held joy and content, these one brought with them a wrath and hatred so powerful it physically harmed her.

The rage passed through her breaking her bones and ripping her muscles. The hatred was both slow and quick to devour and fill her, burning through her nerves and drowning her lungs.

A new image that appeared in her mind. A memory of an old man, whose presence held a terror behind the false veil of of age's fragility and yet even thought the memory wasn't happy, it wasn't joyful or warm, it was clear, more than any memory before it.

 _"Darkness can not be destroyed, it can only be channeled."_

 _"Savor that rage and despair. Let it empower you! Let your whole heart blacken with anger!"_

 _"At last our moment is here."_

Memories and emotions passed through her, bringing pain beyond what she could ever imagine. All of her suffering before were as pitiful rain drops to the ocean she was now submerged in.

But she also gained an understanding.

She understood why the story of the three friend had a sad ending. She understood why everything went wrong.

Through the pain, the image of the old man was overlapped by the imaged of a dark skin girl.

Their fault.

People like them who harm and steal the happiness of others, without any regard.

Their fault.

Xehanort. He ripped apart their happy friendship.

Their fault.

Sophia. She was the one who destroyed hers.

Their fault.

Taylor shouted. Her new anger in harmony with the memories and emotions in her heart.

Their fault.

 _Their fault._

 ** _Their fault._**

And through the haze of wrath and pain, a single plea reached out to her.

A plea to fulfill an oath.

 _"Aqua... Ven... One day I will set this right."_

And before her mind finally relented and locked down, bringing her to peaceful unconsciousness, Taylor accepted.

In her last moments, Taylor recalled one thing.

Light.

Not warm, or depressing, or joyous, or angering.

It was power.

And it was now her duty to give it a will.

Finally Taylor slept.

 **The Lingering Heart**

 ** _Forged Through Promise_**


	2. Arc 1: Inherited Will

**Arc 1: Inherited Will**

Taylor made her way down Winslow's hallways for the last time. She had gotten her books and study materials and in a month's time will only return for her GED and that's it.

Yesterday she had woken up in the hospital after having gotten out of the locker. Her father had visited her, filled with worry and hurt at having been sent to the hospital due to a prank gone wrong. Only for the doctors to tell Taylor and Danny that there wasn't anything wrong with her and that she could leave the next morning, only keeping her the night to monitor her health, just in case.

Her thoughts went back to her dream, and the sensations that were too real to dismiss from it. From just that thought, those memories rushed back to her.

Terra. Aqua. Ven. Xehanort.

The memories where there. They weren't something she dreamed up. She could still feel the phantom pain from experiencing those memories, and the rage that once filled her being.

She sat quietly processing it. Her father thinking she was quietly thinking. It was odd, she could feel Terra's anger and hate, yet she knew it wasn't her own, giving her an odd sense to detachment to observe these memories and emotions. Yet she couldn't help but feel angry on her own. The hurt and suffering Terra and his friends had experienced, it was terrible and wrong. Even calling it "terrible and wrong" didn't feel right, as if that hurt and pain was being diminished.

The hot fire in her chest grew at that. She felt power swell into her being, along with a feeling of caution. She didn't need to guess. If Terra's memories where anything to go by, that was the feeling of the Keyblade, ready to answer her call.

Later on, Principle Blackwell arrived and tried the usual bullshit of saying sorry and there being nothing she could do.

From that point Taylor pushed for taking her GED, her father for reparations and the hospital costs. Blackwell seemed ecstatic at finally getting rid of the bullied kid. Apparently the woman was all too happy to help sweeping the problem away than doing her job. Although it felt odd how the woman was walking a bit too quickly to leave. Taylor knows Blackwell is never really busy, regardless of what the woman said, and yet she seemed all to eager to finish talking to Taylor and her father and get out.

Thinking about it, her dad also seemed to keep his space from her. He didn't make an excuse leave or anything like that, but he felt guarded. Maybe on top of work, her situation had just gotten to him.

Either way, she was done with Winslow. She won't have time for it and its highschool bullshit anymore.

Seeing Terra's memories, and the fight she promised herself to take on. Aqua and Ven, she had to travel and find them. Save them if they are in trouble. Xehanort, wherever he is and whatever scheme he is working on, it would be something that could harm multiple _worlds._

The bullying, Emma, Sophia, Winslow. It all seemed so small in perspective. So... childish.

"Oh Taylor, you're feeling better already?" Asked a condescending voice in fake concern.

Taylor stopped. She supposed that even on her last day, she would still see Emma. And her peanut gallery.

"It is such a shame that you fell into that locker. Really clumsy of you. I hope you had time to shower? Or they didn't even let you do that?" Emma rambled on.

Yet Taylor had her focus on something else. She should have been affected by Emma, by her presence, by her words. Terra's memories, battles made her words pointless when compared to your friends and family dying before your eyes.

No, her focus was someone else.

Sophia Hess.

Maybe it was her newfound powers. Maybe it was the experience from her new memories. Taylor just knew that Sophia had a power, there was a pool of energy within the athlete girl who tormented her.

"Oh what's the matter, _Herbert?_ Cat got your tongue?" Sophia said with a smirk, stepping forward in a challenging way.

Emma said something, adding to Sophia's taunt, but Taylor pushed it aside. Emma was no longer someone she cared about or was a part of her life. She would cut her out, here and now. This wasn't Emma, she realized that now. So she no longer cared what this... creature that looked like her did.

But Sophia... she had to pay for what she had done to her, and if Sophia might be a cape as well, then... that presented an opportunity.

"Fight me." Taylor said.

For a moment they looked surprised, before laughing off.

"Emma, I think she lost it." Said one of the girls.

"Oh Taylor, honey, did you hit your head yesterday?" Emma acted worried in an obviously fake manner.

Yet Sophia wasn't laughing. As if the seriousness of her words, Sophia did find herself throwing them off.

"Say that again, Hebert." She growled.

"I'm not coming back here again, but I want to leave without any unfinished business. So, after school, you choose the place. Or are all bark and no bite?" Taylor said, raising an eyebrow.

"Ooh, this is just too cute. Taylor are you..." Emma began, only to lose the words on her mouth.

The atmosphere changed. Sophia didn't lash out at the verbal challenge, she was sizing Taylor up, like a real threat.

 _Something is different. Did the bitch trigger and is now calling me out?_ Thought Sophia, because as she looked around her, the other girls had taken a step back, feeling things becoming too serious. Even Emma became quiet. Sophia had felt it, a feel of danger from mousy Hebert.

 _Is it some aura, like Glory Bitch?_ No. Sophia dismissed the thought. She knew what this is, it was the same as standing in front of Hookwolf or Lung, except if you didn't know who they were, but still felt that its best to stay away from them.

 _So the bitch grew a spine, huh?_ Sophia smirked openly. As friendly as a shark.

"So you grew some balls, huh, Herbert." The feeling of danger increased. Good. "Boat Graveyard. Tomorrow. Let's see if you'll chicken out."

"Come on, Sophia. You can't seriously-"

"See you then." Said Taylor and began to walk. Emma's entourage gave her a wide birth.

"Hey, you get back here!" Shouted Emma. "Move! Stop her!" She told her peons. No one listened. "Get back here, Taylor. Don't you fucking walk away from me, Taylor!"

She just kept walking, unable to hear Emma's voice anymore.

"Taylor!"

* * *

It was a little bit embarrassing later on, when both Taylor and Sophia had realized that neither had agreed on a time to meet, and thus Sophia - after forcing Emma to give her Taylor's home number - called the Hebert house, only for Danny to answer, and kept giving Sophia very pointed questions on who she is, how she knows Taylor and why she hadn't helped her when she was being bullied. It took a bit of maneuvering, lying, a bit more lying, and then lying some more, before she convinced the interrogating father, that there was nothing she could do, that she was only a classmate and that she didn't go to school on the day of the locker prank.

Thankfully before Danny began poking holes in her story, Taylor arrived a took the phone from her father, getting the time and place for meeting with Sophia and ending the call quickly before her dad interrupted.

The next day, Taylor arrived to the location without any fanfare. She stood in the middle of an underground parking lot of an abandoned building. The building was at the edge of the Empire 88's territory, but thankfully not used as much. The place was in some sort of finance development hell, that once it was finished made it difficult anyone to be interesting in using it, add in gangs, crimes, vandalism and the cost of fixing the place and it was now just left aside and near forgotten. Basically the perfect place for a secret fight, especially one that might involve cape powers.

Taylor waited, gathering her thoughts. Her new abilities seemed limitless, or at least they should be given what Terra knew about the Keyblade. They should allow a great number of versatility, add in having enough magical power or Light...maybe Heart energy? (things related to the metaphysical tended to be confusing), and you are practically a reality warper. The spell Haste alone was worth having as a cape power. It would allow her to finish up a lot of work, studying and even training, as it sped up everything about her; from her movement to her thoughts and metabolism. For a fight like this? It would more than even the odds.

Taylor felt Sophia before she heard her, the energy within the dark skinned girl familiar enough for her to recognize.

"Well, well you actually came and didn't chicken out." Came Sophia's voice from behind her.

Taylor momentarily thought about whether Sophia happen to come from an entrance behind her, or specifically circled around to come from behind her, and scare her off.

"What can I say," Taylor turn around to face her long time tormentor. Seeing that Sophia was alone only carrying a backpack, allowed Taylor mentally relaxed for a moment. Good, now she wouldn't have to deal with some fistfight that wouldn't help her that much in using her powers. Sure the experience would be good, but what she needed more, was getting her body used to using the Keyblade. "I'm done running."

Taylor tensed her muscles, and jumped up toward Sophia. She brought her arms up and began to swing her arm downward. With a burst of light, the giant Keyblade manifested in her hand in mid-slash and was in range to catch Sophia in its motion.

Sophia had noticed the way Taylor's body tensed. Having fought criminals both normal and parahuman for long enough to see when someone is about to attack. She didn't expect mousy Hebert to make the first move, but that doesn't mean she wasn't prepared. Before Taylor had began her jump, Sophia had dashed backwards, bringing her backpack in front of her, she phased her arm into misty shadow and took out her collapsible crossbow out of the backpack, arrow ammo filled and ready.

She shot Taylor with a tranquilizer dart, feeling triumph as it hit, although a bit disappointed that it ended so soon. She didn't even need to use the few traps she laid around here.

"Urrgh!" Taylor growled out as she the arrow slammed into her shoulder, forcing one hand to let go of the Keyblade that had hit empty ground. She gritted her teeth, feeling something from the arrowhead pushing into her. She looked up at Sophia to see her smirk, and back to the arrow, one that she vividly recognized from television and media. The dots connected in her mind.

"You're Shadow Stalker," she tried to keep her voice even, but pain still slipped through. Taylor forced herself to stand straight, switch the Keyblade to the injured arm, and grasped the arrow with the healthy one.

"The one and only," Sophia answered back. "Gotta admit, I wasn't sure if you had triggered, but even then I didn't think you would go for the kill from the get go." She said having noticed how the projected weapon's head had easily sunk through the ground.

If it wasn't for the injury, Taylor could have sworn Sophia was talking with approval.

"Wasn't going for a kill shot. Just a move to force you to use whatever power you had." Said Taylor. She began to feel her eyelids getting incredibly heavy, even though the hit was non-lethal and she was hardly losing blood.

 _Tranquilizer._ She realized.

"Bullshit," Sophia sneered. "You're saying you called me out here, knowing I was Shadow Stalker? What? Do you really want the Protectorate and Wards after your head?"

"Not that you were Shadow Stalker, although it explained near everything." Taylor held the arrow firmly, and with a grunt ripped it out.

"You do know that will make you bleed, right?" Said Sophia, amused. "So you're saying you can sense if a person is a cape? Boy, that would put a target on your back." Sophia had swung the bag into her back, and stood waiting for Taylor to snooze off. "Also as a fresh cape, you should quickly learn up on the Unwritten Rules as a stunt like this would get you gunned at by everyone. Thankfully, I'm not gonna tell this time, because I'm nice like that."

"One thing," Taylor gathered her magical energy, pushing away the effects of the drugs in her. Pulling the spell she needed from Terra's memories. "I now get...why...nothing happened no matter...how much," she gripped her Keyblade tighter, forcing pain through her arm, and keeping her awake long enough. "I complained. I'm not gonna even ask why you and Emma kept hounding me. You're a fucking bitch and that's how you get your rocks off."

"Ha!" Sophia cackled. "Hebert finally swears and bites back. Maybe I should have brought Emma here."

"What I want to know...is how you changed Emma like that?" It didn't matter much. Knowing that is. She had already come to peace with not knowing why Emma betrayed her. Knowing how people like Sophia and Xehanort corrupted people, their ways and methods, that would help in the long run. If Sophia gloated and told her though, that's a nice bonus, and if Sophia didn't tell, that's fine, she'll learn as she traveled. Ultimately though this was merrily a distraction. The spell was now ready.

"I would tell you... if you had beaten me. Too bad, Hebert, lost your chance." Sophia then walked toward Hebert, standing at an arms distance, leaning in as if telling a secret. "I'll tell you think though, I never cared about you. I never forced Emma to keep beating on you. Pushing you down, tearing into you, oh yeah, that's fun. Momentary fun. I have other things to get to as you can see. Everything that happened, that was all Emma. I never pushed or encouraged her, I just told her how to be strong, and if you had nutted up and did the same, you could have avoided this whole hassle. So really, Hebert, its all your fault."

Hearing Sophia's dismiss of her misery, the way the acted like the hell she leaved through so beneath her, it made up Taylor's mind. This _was_ a training exercise for her powers.

Now? She was going to deliver a smack down.

Taylor cast her spell. She hadn't reached the level to use a spell wordlessly, but thankfully magic (and its fucking weird symbolism rules) only cared about the spell being called out, not how loud it was spoken.

"Hmm? What was that? Are you crying, Herbert? Don't tell me you broke from just that? And you were doing so well." Sophia sigh dramatically. Secretly though, she was disappointed. For a moment, the scrawny girl looked like terrifying predator. Seems like it was just a heat of the moment thing, Hebert was still the same weak girl, except now she had a power to hide behind.

Still, at least this would be a lesson for the girl, not to bite more than she could chew. After she's knocked out, she'll have to throw her somewhere safe till she woke up. Can't have the girl getting killed or raped on her conscious. Sophia doesn't help prey, people who just let things happen to thing, who just simply stand their and take it, acting "oh woe is me" disgusted her. However leaving them a chance to fight in this dog-eat-dog world was fair. If they lived? Good. If they died? At least they don't have to suffer anymore.

Sophia met Taylor's gaze and found her instincts scream for her to be ready to fight.

Taylor eyes glowed furious blue. They didn't hold look of a beaten down girl.

"Esuna."

* * *

With a burst of motion, Shadow Stalker phased into shadow state as she dashed back from the glowing Taylor Hebert.

Taylor having now healed from the tranquilizers, swung her weapon and with its reach, grazing Sophia in her transformed state. Shadow Stalker found herself falling back to her normal form, feeling tired from the transformation, which shouldn't happen unless she had been using it for hours and hours on end. Even then it would have only caused her to feel that she had been using the same effort as walking to school, not like she had been jogging for a while.

"Cure," Taylor called out with a slow voice, healing the small shoulder wound.

"What the hell-" Sophia didn't have time to curse or complain, as Taylor raised the Keyblde next to her face, pointing it at Sophia. Following the inherited instincts and memory, she gathered her energy into her body and the tip of the Keyblade, and dashed forward. Her feet cracked the floor as she rushed forward, instantly crossing the distance between her and Shadow Stalker, Keyblade first.

Shadow Stalker phased and jumped to the side. Taylor found a sweatshirt in her path, she swept it aside letting her body follow the motions and feel of her attack, by digging her foot into the ground, cracking the pavement again, twisting and thrusting once crossing the distance only to find a pair of jeans thrown at her. Again she swept it aside wondering why the fuck Sophia was throwing her clothes at her, before suddenly realizing Sophia might be naked right now. She hesitated for a moment before coming to the decision that she would attack Sophia no matter what fucked up mind games she was playing now.

The hesitation however cost Taylor, as she twisted on her heel to turn and continue her attack, Shadow Stalker was in her face delivering an uppercut, breaking off Taylor's form and attack. Shadow Stalker then span, sending a spinning kick into Taylor's abdomen. And it looked like Sophia had her costume under her clothes the whole time.

"Woohoo, Hebert!" Said Sophia as Taylor fell on her ass from the kick, only to use the momentum to roll with it and stood up again. "So you do have some spine after all." Sophia smiled like a shark. "Although," and with that she brought up her cape mask, and put it on. Her voice was different, modified by some of the tech in the mask. "if you keep this up, it won't be just a brawl and I'll have to take you in, Hebert." Shadow Stalker practically sang, knowing now that Taylor wouldn't stop without a fight. She was proven right when Taylor just gritted her teeth and glared at her.

 _Good._ Sophia grinned.

Taylor brought up her Keyblade in a guard position. It seems this will be more of a challenge than she thought.

 _Good. Now, let's try that again._ Thought Taylor. Once more, she gathered her energy and repeated her dash Keyblade thrust attack. Again Shadow Stalker dodging having seen this pattern before and pointed her thinker crossbow at the seemingly predictable cape and fired. This time however, Taylor's attack stopped after one try, she had gathered more and more energy into her being, and let the memories flow through her. The Keyblade had a small yellow glow around it, she first slashed upward knocking the shadow-phased arrow from its path, then with familiar ease brought the weapon back down, letting the momentum carry it through multiple attacks left and right like a horizontal eight.

Shadow waded through the crazy mad hacks and slashs. Hebert's attack was like a child throwing a tantrum, yet there was too much practice and coordination in the attack to be Taylor just throwing a fit hoping to hit something. Finally, Hebert seemed to slow down, only for her make another upward sweeping hit. Shadow Stalker phased out, she had been avoiding attacks so far due to not being sure of the weapon's interaction with her power from before, but it seemed like she had no choice now but to find out.

The Keyblade hit the shadow-like mist, Sophia felt an odd ball of pressure in her "stomach" to go back to her normal form and pushed against it, forcing herself to stay in her breaker form. A downward attack followed, throwing Shadow Stalker's shadow form away from Hebert, followed by a jump spin attack with the Keyblade that left a trail of energy behind it. The pressure in her "stomach" keep rising higher and higher, Shadow Stalker felt like she might throw up in her shadow state, if that was even possible. Hebert jumped, the weapon's glow concentrating at the tip, ready to bring it down. Seeing a chance with Hebert in the air, Shadow Stalker dashed away clearing a wide distance in her made attempt to get away and fell back to her human form.

Taylor brought her Keyblade down too late to hit Sophia, only managing to brutally hurt the pavement, leaving a small crater from the force and energy of her last attack. She looked at Sophia to see she had changed back to normal, holding her stomach like she's about to be sick.

"The fuck did you do to me Hebert?" Sophia growled out, breathing heavily while shaking off distortion. "What the hell is that thing?"

"It's called a Keyblade." Taylor raised her weapon to point at Sophia. "It's something to beat Villains, no matter how well their publicity is."

"Ha," Shadow Stalker chuckled. "Easy with the cheesy self-righteous crap, or you're gonna start buying your own shit." After a moment, her breathing evened out and her stance was straight again. She still felt much more tired than she normally would be from using her transformation. More than she had ever been really.

 _Guess I will use those traps after all._ Thought Shadow Stalker.

Taylor brought the Keyblade behind her, facing Sophia with her unarmed side in an attack stance. "Big talk, coming from the loser."

Shadow Stalker smiled menacingly under her mask. She dashed into motion again running to the side. Taylor followed her action while moving closer to her. Suddenly Sophia stopped at one of the garage's pillars, shooting shadow-phased arrows from behind it, while keeping most of her body from view. Taylor dashed away from the path of the attack, heading toward Sophia who didn't move from her position. In her rush she never noticed the low tripwire on the ground, causing a smoke bomb to go off. The black gas quickly spread out, Taylor covered her nose and mouth, ready to call the Esuna spell at a moment's notice in case the gas was poisonous. She wouldn't put it past Sophia to do so.

At the same time Shadow Stalker had phased into shadow, and jumped away, circling around and readied to hunt her prey. Now that she knew Hebert had a regenerative ability, she didn't need to hold back as much. She moved, shooting Hebert from the side, who somehow began jumping with a swan dive style, and rolled into a ball. Taylor landing in a crouch, all while holding her big ass projected weapon. She kept doing that while heading out of the smoke.

It was... kinda fucking hilarious really, until Shadow Stalker realized that her arrow aren't doing anything while Hebert is in her hamster rolling mode. So she shot a few more arrows for show, and waited for her chance.

Hebert got out of the smoke cloud, and just as she began to stand up an arrow burst out and hit her ankle.

"Fuck!" Taylor shouted, falling to her knees. She griped the arrow, like before, pushing through the pain and ripped it out. "Cur-"

Before she could cast the healing spell, Sophia had gotten a grenade she had hid around, got in close and threw it in Taylor's face. Taylor brought her Keyblade up to guard only for the bomb to let out an intense blinding light.

 _A stun grenade! Why the fuck does she have a stun grenade?_ Taylor didn't have time to ponder these thoughts as she pressed her advantage. Sophia slammed Taylor with a haymaker making her hunch over, followed by an uppercut, throwing Taylor's head back.

Not letting up, Shadow Stalker used her speed and experience, delivering one punch after another. Any feeble attempt by Taylor was met with Shadow Stalker turning to shadow and then using the agility of her Breaker form to evade the Keyblade at impossible angles.

 _I can't hold this up._ Feeling the breath knocked out of her, with no chance to get her grip or heal, Taylor threw all her power into one move in the pause between Sophia's attacks.

"Haste!" Taylor cried out and the world slowed down, or rather she sped up. She could see Sophia's attacks now, she dodged by jumping, spinning, directing energy to the Keyblade and letting it slam into Sophia as she was falling.

Shadow Stalker didn't anticipate the sudden increase in Hebert's speed and barely had time to phase before she was sent, literally, flying by Hebert's attack. She fell down landing on her feet and returned to normal. Her body felt stiff for a bit, difficult to move in. She wasn't sure if that was another ability of Hebert's weapon or what happens when she gets hit by it one too many times.

"Cura," Shadow Stalker heard Hebert say some weird mumbo-jumbo, a green lightshow formed around her, and she was fine again, like she didn't have the stuffing beaten out of her for a while.

 _Fucking regeneratives._ Thought Shadow Stalker with a scoff. She a few more bombs laying around, she began planning how to lure Hebert into the containment foam one.

 _This isn't working._ Thought Taylor, finally catching her breath. She was healed, all her injuries gone. Add to that her new speed and she definitely had the upper hand on Sophia. But Terra's memories and instincts, as well as the past few times times she clashes with Sophia, told her to be careful. It is right at this moment that she might slip from something unexpected.

 _Physical attacks aren't enough right now. I need..._ the answer quickly came to her. _Attack Magic Spells._

Calling on her power, Taylor raised the Keyblade to the air. "Thunder."

Sophia looked at her, as if she was a moron before jumping back from the ring of electricity expanding from Taylor's position. The electric circle stopped way before reaching Sophia and lightening fell multiple times within the bounds of the ring.

"That ..." Began Sophia, worry pulsed in her chest, yet she pushed through it. She isn't weak. So what if Hebert can call on lightning? "Was kinda pathetic. I mean, it's obvious as fuck to just get out of the circle to avoid it. Is everything you do gonna be something an eight year old can figure out?"

Taylor's eyes narrowed. " _Fine._ " She pointed the Keyblade again. "Blizzara."

Sophia dodge as a large block of ice smashed into where she was, leaving a few blocks and a sheet of ice on the floor.

"Missed me~" Shadow Stalker said in a singsong.

" _Firaga!_ " Taylor roared, and a condensed ball of heat and plasma flew toward Sophia who had already phased, dodge and returned to normal.

"Missed-" Except the fireball followed after Shadow Stalker. "Oh come on!" Quickly turning to shadow she barely dodged the spell, which then hit the wall behind her and blasted off into an explosion.

Leaving her Breaker state, Shadow Stalker saw Taylor with a grin of triumph this time.

"That is fucking bullshit." Sophia spat out. "You didn't have the decency to be a normal grab-bag cape, you had to keep reaching back in to the power-bag and keep getting stuff."

Taylor looked positively smug, at having gotten under Sophia's skin at the moment. However her feeling of victory was cut off, by the feel two pools of energy currently in the building and heading toward their location. It looked like she hadn't noticed them during the fight with Sophia.

It must have shown on her face, as Sophia couldn't help not commenting on it.

"Oh don't tell me, your power has a limit and you're gonna croak now." Said Shadow Stalker sound all too pleased with the possibility.

"Two capes are coming here." Said Taylor.

"What?" Sophia straightened up. "What game are you playing now, Hebert?"

"No game," Taylor tense, looking at the direction the capes should arrive in, while keeping Sophia in her view. "Two capes, about to come from there."

Sophia looked conflicted for a moment, keeping her eyes on Taylor for a while. Seeing that Taylor didn't change her stance, and hearing something clacking in the distance - footsteps, maybe - from the silence of them stopping their fight, Sophia dashed to her bag.

"Here," she threw a domino mask at Taylor, who caught it looking at it in confusion. "Put it on. Don't mean much but should be enough for now. Unwritten Rules say you don't target a cape in their civil identity, but some fuckers don't care about that." Sophia paused for a moment. "This isn't over Hebert."

"Wouldn't expect it to be." Taylor put the mask on, and focused on the new arrivals. It seemed the two capes split up, one of them heading to the entrance, while the other heading somewhere to the floor above them.

Taylor and Shadow Stalker waited in nervous anticipation. They could now hear the footstep coming closer.

The cape came into view. Their costume and look were good enough of an introduction.

"Well, well what is this? Some noble spirit fighting for the cause, cleansing the world of nigger filth." Said Crusader in a disgustingly condescending tone, of one who thinks too highly of themselves.

"Fuck you, asswipe! Oh wait, you already do that with your ghosts, don't you?" Shadow Stalker fired back.

Crusader frowned like someone threw shit at him.

"Vulgar and disgusting, then again, that wouldn't be surprising, considering what you are."

Shadow Stalker flipped him off, beginning to show her extensive library of swear words.

Crusader ignored her, as he faced Taylor.

"So child, from the state of this place I can see that you endeavor to help the white race, against filth like her. If you ask, the Empire will surely help in your fight."

Shadow Stalker stopped, looking at Hebert, worried for the first time one what the girl she once bullied might do. One-on-one she can handle, but add in Crusader and whoever he brought (if what Hebert said is true), and things got... difficult. Her hand inconspicuously went to the phone in her bag, ready to call for backup.

"No." Taylor said without pause or hesitation, letting Sophia breath easier, even if Taylor didn't notice that. "This is a private matter. It is none of your business, and frankly your racism disgusts me."

"You say that, and yet isn't it this black miscreant that had wronged you?"

"Don't talk like you know me," Taylor words were lanced with power, opposing Crusader and making him feel that his persuasion won't work at the moment.

"Very well," sounding very disappointed. "But this is Empire territory and for a sister of the race I will give you a safe leave, but her..." he said facing Shadow Stalker. "She needs a lesson on entering a place belonging to her betters."

"Bring it asshole!" With a few button press, Shadow Stalker called for help and shoved her phone back in her bag. Now she just needs to hold on long enough till the PRT arrived.

Taylor stepped up next to Shadow Stalker.

"You would help _her!?_ " Again, Crusader had his shit sniffing face on.

"Oi, this isn't a kiddy game like before. This shit is real, Keyblade." Said Shadow Stalker.

Taylor blinked at the name, before answering casually. "Please, I was wiping the floor with you." To which Shadow Stalker just snorted. " And I hate people like him more than I hate people like you. You're just a fucked up psycho, he's a nazi. You don't compare."

"Aww, thanks, Key~"

Taylor felt like she tasted something sour, from how friendly Sophia sounded just then.

"I see. A poor choice, but kids need to be punished when they make a wrong choice." Said Crusader. "Go ahead." He said to a microphone in his mask.

The ceiling broke, crashing into a hundred pieces as a girl standing on one of the broken pavements as a flying platform, entered the parking lot.

"OH YEAH!"

* * *

The sudden rocks from above would have caught Taylor by surprise, had she not known that a second cape was one floor up. She began running, bringing her Keyblade up to guard or parry boulders thrown at her. As a more seasoned cape Shadow Stalker was more prepared, turning into shadow and lunging for what she saw as the bigger threat, Crusader. Taylor dashed toward Shadow Stalker, wanting to aid her against the more dangerous cape. Rune however had other ideas.

"Nope~!"

Taylor found a few rocks speeding after her, she could also see a few circling around to attack her from other directions. Taylor halted, changed direction and dashed toward the bricks behind her. She jumped over them, slashing and breaking them into tinier pieces as she went overhead.

"I can still control them, you dumbass!" Rune gestured toward broken rocks, trying to fly them toward the key wielding cape. "The fuck!?" Only to find that the rocks broken by Taylor were no longer under her control. "What did you do, bit-" Rune was cut off, quickly moved to dodge a fireball hurled at her. "What the hell?" Rune now found herself as the one being chased by a projectile. She threw some of the rocks under her control to intercept the flaming sphere, causing it to erupt in a bright explosion.

Meanwhile Shadow Stalker was firing her arrows at Crusader. He easily intercepted them with his ghosts, letting them take the hits and sending them in droves after the Ward. Shadow Stalker tried to run and shoot at the nazi cape hoping to luring him to one of the traps she had laying around, but annoyingly Crusader used one of his ghosts to fly around and attack her with his projections while he stayed at a safe distance.

"You ghost chicken shit," Shadow Stalker shouted before phasing into shadow and dodging another swipe by a Crusader ghost. While the projected ghosts couldn't harm her in her shadow state, they can inject force on her transformed state to push her away, and with enough of them around her they can box her in, till she turns back and left at their mercy.

Crusader scoffed, saying nothing, as though talking to a black girl was beneath him. He continued sending his ghosts after her, knowing that eventually the dirty colored girl would slip. He also sent a few ghosts against the other cape, seeing no reason to spare her, and to assist Rune in finishing things quickly at her end.

Taylor kept throwing the Firaga spell after Rune who replied with her own boulder, causing them to reenact a beautiful game of death tennis, where the object is not to let the balls of rocks or fire hit you. Her senses screamed in danger and Taylor jumped and rolled to the side to avoid a slash by a ghost sword. She cursed under her breath and prepared to fight both Rune and Crusader's ghosts.

Shadow Stalker took a quick glance at Taylor's battle before phasing and dashing away again from the ghosts' assaults.

 _Right, she needs an assist, but can't exactly shout a plan at her... or can I?_ Behind her mask, the Ward grinned.

"Keyblade, close your eyes!" She shouted and fired an arrow toward Taylor's fight and at Crusader while dashing away to one of her hidden grenades.

Taylor had quickly followed the command expecting another flashbang, while Rune turned away covering herself with a few flat rocks. Crusander had also bunkered himself with his ghosts having them form a body made phantom wall around him.

Naturally nothing happened.

Rune slowly removed her cover, and Taylor opened her eyes, both looking annoyed. Crusader also was not amused.

"Despicable little-" Before Crusader could say anything Shadow Stalker fired another arrow in Rune and Taylor's direction and threw the grenade in her hand at the nazi. Shadow Stalker had hid a stun grenade high on one of the pillar near where Taylor and Rune's fight was taking place. The timing wasn't perfect, but both stun grenades went off, causing Rune and Taylor to cry out at the explosion of light and sound. Shadow Stalker then fired a dart at another hidden bomb, causing a smoke screen to start rolling in.

 _And now only the containment foam bomb is left. Better make it count._ Shadow Stalker left that last grenade in her backpack, which she had been carrying for a while now. She quickly took out the bomb, using its handle to place it on one of the hooks in her costume. She ran to Taylor's side hoping the girl's regeneration would take care of any temporary blindness.

"Esuna, what the fuck, So- Shadow Stalker!?" Taylor rounded on the dark hero when she saw her.

"I did say to keep your eyes closed," the Ward answered cheekily. "Anyways, let's take out the mini-nazi before going about big ghostfucker-" Shadow Stalker was shoved away by Taylor. Before she could shout at ungrateful bitch, she saw Taylor bring up her weapon to block an attack by one of the ghost. "No, dodge!" She knew the ghost can choose when to become corporeal and when to affect object. The phantom sword would go through Taylor's weapon and cut into her.

 _CLANG!_

To the shock of Shadow Stalker and Crusader, the Keyblade stopped the ghost blade.

With a battle cry, Taylor parried the sword upward, before spinning and slashing the ghost torso. Again defying expectation, Taylor's projected weapon didn't harmlessly pass through the ghost. The Keyblade cut the ghost in half, breaking and dispelling it.

"GAAAAAAAH!" Crusader screamed, taken aback by the phantom pain transmitted to him from his ghost's death. The pain wasn't as bad as a real slash to the stomach would have been, but the suddenness in which it came, was what took him by surprise. Crusader looked at Taylor, now with rage and wariness in his eyes. He wouldn't make the mistake of taking her lightly anymore. "Rune! Bring it down!"

Taylor and Shadow Stalker looked toward the teenage nazi, having lost her in the confusion.

"Aye, aye sir!" Rune had been flying for the while now, was quite a bit away from Taylor and Shadow Stalker, standing within the hole she entered from. "Hey Stalker," Rune smirked, "As your people like to say, GET LOW!"

A rumble took over the place and cracks began to appear on the ceiling and the garage pillars. Taylor and Shadow Stalker didn't wait, a moment, they ran toward one of the exits. Of course, Shadow Stalker couldn't leave without a parting "HA! YOU LISTEN TO RAP? GIVE BACK YOUR NAZI CARD, BITCH!"

The rumbling continued and soon the entire floor broke to pieces falling down, and of course the ceiling was falling as a wave toward the two hero-ish capes.

"FUCK!" Shouted Shadow Stalker. Not only was the ceiling collapsing toward them, but the exit they where heading to was blocked by the boulder. Shadow Stalker unclasped her foam grenade ready to use it on Taylor. The foam should form fast enough to envelop her and protect her from the pavement avalanche. Her plan was halted with Taylor's next words.

"Turn shadow." The certainty in her voice convinced Shadow Stalker that Taylor had a plan.

As she was fighting, Taylor had been dragging more and more of Terra's memories up, looking at them and reviewing them. There were many combat skills and spells, even combinations. There were abilities for offense, defense and support. And within those large reservoir of abilities, were the Ultimate-class Magic Spell.

Taylor drew on her magical energy, gathering it up quickly in a ferocious need. She brought her Keyblade in front of her and spoke the words.

 ** _"Mega Flare."_**

Blinding fire engulfed everything.

* * *

 _So that's what being inside a nuclear explosion is like._

Upon Taylor unleashing her latest attack, Sophia had well and truly though the scrawny girl had snapped and now everyone, excluding herself, was going to die. Well okay, she obviously snapped already due to having triggered, but she meant that this fight made her snap in a none-trigger-fashion, just being really pissed off, and was going on a burn-the-world spree. Sophia had those sometime, but she never acted on them. Of course, she never had the power to fart nuclear fire like Behemoth at will, either.

At first a ball of light and heat, the size of a basketball gathered at the tip of Taylor's weapon. In milliseconds it expanded, evaporating the wave of falling debris and continuing on engulfing the screaming Rune. Shadow Stalker being near the epicenter of the blast had a spectacular view of the whole event.

 _I can now add "Seeing the inside of a nuclear blast" to my bucket list and check it._ Though Sophia with a mental chuckle.

Just as quickly as it started, the sphere of fire stopped, and disappeared all together. Sophia waited for the heat and light to die down before turning back to normal. She saw that the blast extended to more than fifty feet from where she was. The ceiling and the ground of the floor above it were practically gone, although the hole in the second ceiling was smaller than the one in the first. The ground was heavily indented, but not burned away like the surroundings and ceiling, except for a small part Taylor was standing on like it was a pedestal.

 _If that is her power specifically acting like that... then its classy as fuck._

"Holy shit, Key." Sophia looked around, at the transformed environment. "Seriously, holy shit."

Taylor's arm fell forward, she still held onto the Keyblade letting the tip rest on the ground for support. She was heavily panting, the spell having took a lot out of her.

Sophia then looked at her costume in exaggeratingly appreciative way. "And not a speck of dust on the Amazing Pantheress. Shadow Stalker one, nuclear explosion zero."

During their banter, Sophia looked around seeing no sign Crusader, concluding that he is either dead or ran away.

"Did...you just call yourself 'the Amazing Pantheress'?" Asked Taylor, she dismissed her weapon, stood up straight once more, her energy rapidly returning.

Before Sophia could retort, they both heard a cough and whine from toward the edge of the crater, they saw Rune moving and trying to stand. She failed constantly, from the pain. As they stood near her they saw costume mostly intact, but charred in many places, while she suffered from first and second degree burn all over.

"Okay, I'm pretty fucking sure you don't have a Brute power, so how the fuck are you alive?" Asked Shadow Stalker.

"Whi...te... Pow..er... _bitch!_ " Rune said giving up her attempts to stand or get away, and just glared at her adversaries.

"I can control the degree to which my spells can affect people or things. I wanted to blow away the rocks and you out of the fight, not kill you. So you didn't get the whole effect, just part of it." Clarified Taylor.

"Bullshit, just fucking bullshit." Said Shadow Stalker shaking her head. "And really, 'spells'?"

"You have a better explanation?"

Before Shadow Stalker could retort Rune began coughing again.

"Curaga." Taylor pointed her weapon at the fallen Rune, and cast her spell, causing imagery of flowers and green light to appear and circle around the nazi cape for a bit before disappearing. Near instantly, nearly all her wounds and burns disappear in a powerful regeneration effect. Taylor used the spell again and any sign that Rune was injured was her burned out outfit.

"Okay, that's it." Shadow Stalker threw her hands in the air. "On top of all that crap, you can heal yourself and others. You didn't just keep stealing powers from the grab-bag powers, you stole the bag itself." Shadow Stalker brought her gun to Rune as she sat up. "And don't even think about moving your pebbles. She can heal you, that means I can put arrows in you without having to worry now. Hands on your lap, milkshake."

"Fuck you, nigger bitch!" Rune however complied seeing how outnumbered and heavily outgunned she was. Taylor focused her gaze Rune, also watching her.

"Hey, do you have anything in your powers to hold her, while I make the call." Shadow Stalker said with a chuckle, while was about to start digging into her bag for a zip tie.

Taylor pointed her Keyblade again at Rune who flinched back.

"Bind." A circle of yellow light with small arcs of electricity flew around Rune, who found herself paralyzed.

Shadow Stalker looked at the spectacle, before muttering under her breath and took out her phone to call it in.

Taylor kept her eye on Rune who just sat still unmoving expect her head.

"The Empire will be gunning for you now, you know that right?" Said Rune.

Shadow Stalker kept her eye on Hebert and Rune but focused on her call.

"So what, they are after any new cape." Said Taylor.

Rune snorted. "With everything you were throwing around, they'll tell you to either join up or they'll take you out if you start being noisy."

"The nazi shitstain is actually right." Said Shadow Stalker having finished her call. Rune shot back her own curse. "You should lay low for a while. I would give you the 'join the Wards' if I was feeling like vomiting and puking at the same time, but it is the only other safe option you have. Or join the other big gang, but you're not Asian, or do you have shapeshifting powers too?" Shadow Stalker said in joking, while looking at Taylor expecting her to pull a shapeshifting power up.

"I'm not joining the Wards." Taylor said pointedly, glaring at Shadow Stalker.

"You won't be missing out on much." The Ward shrugged. Taylor had to wonder if Sophia just didn't get why she wouldn't join the Wards, or if she thought what happened between them was water under the bridge. "Say, did you get Crusader and not dial down the heat on him?"

"He was out of the blast range. Fucker ran away, but with Keygirl here, he's gonna be back and with droves of E88 capes to deal with you." Said Rune, trying to sound threatening.

"How can you be okay with your friends leaving you like you were? Crusader couldn't have known I could or would heal you." Asked Taylor, she couldn't believe the way the Empire cape abandoned his ally, or the causal way Rune was accepting it.

"We have Othala, or the PRT would get me Panacea." Rune shrugged. "Either way I would have been fine. As for Crusader? Ghost-fuck doesn't see me as officially Empire yet, so he left rather than fight a mini-Behemoth."

Taylor stood quiet, not knowing what to say. Is this how all gangs acted? Why do people join them then?

"Doesn't matter anyways, PRT will be here soon and the E88 wouldn't be able to come here fast enough." Said Shadow Stalker, finding a wall close by and leaning against it.

"We were heading toward a meeting when we heard the noise you were making. Crusader has some tinkertech in his mask. He probably recorded the fight and will show it to Kaiser. If you wait for the PRT you're gonna be fucked with swords, Keygirl." Said Rune starting to sound amused rather than frightened.

Shadow Stalker was about to mouth off against Rune, when Taylor stepped in sounding dangerously interested.

"Meeting?"

* * *

"You do realize you're completely fucking insane, right?" Said Shadow Stalker.

Shadow Stalker had tranq'ed Rune, leaving her unconscious with her hands and feet tied and away from the ground. Add in Taylor's Bind spell and it was safe to carry and leave her in front of the building without too much worry.

Before that though, Taylor and Shadow Stalker engaged in a bit of creative talk to get the location of the Empire Eighty-Eight's current meeting warehouse. While it wouldn't mean much, as the E88 circles where they gather in their territory when they need such a meeting and at best would allow the PRT & Protectorate to catch only a few of the Empire capes by ambushing them after the meeting.

Taylor however had a different idea.

"I mean, what do you expect to happen? Do you think you could just go there and go 'Oh hey Nazis, I would really appreciate it if you let me just grab Kaiser here and give him to the PRT, okay? Thaaaaanks'. Yeah, that ain't gonna fucking happen."

Taylor offered the idea that capturing the E88 leader from within the gang's territory would be a major blow to them. Not only that, but with him gone the Empire would crumple on itself.

"Key, you have some firepower, that doesn't make you Lung. Hell, even that fucking lizard didn't try to do this shit." Said Shadow Stalker.

Taylor had a good reason to head toward such danger. She had thought on her fight with Sophia and the neo-nazi cape. She was drawing on more of Terra's power, but it felt like it wasn't enough. There was still a lot more to pull up. Yes, taking on the E88 full on is insane, but so are the dangers she had to prepare to, to face Xehanort. She could feel it in her heart and from the Keyblade Wielder's memories that he was more dangerous than any gang. After all, being able to command someone who can fill up entire _worlds_ with monsters, that has to make Xehanort on the same level as an Endbringer, right?

The Empire is definitely not at that threat level. She she would attack them in their home, where they think they are safe, and rip apart their morale by taking their leader right in the middle of them.

"What does this matter to you?" Taylor finally asked. "And why are you coming with me?"

"Oh, I don't care." Shadow Stalker said in good cheer. "I do however want to see you nuke some nazis. That is something I don't want to miss." Shadow Stalker said with a wide grin under her mask.

Taylor wanted to hit Sophia with her Keyblade, but held her irritation inside and told herself to focus it on the Empire when she meets them.

They reached the meeting place easily enough, only slightly winded. Shadow Stalker's Breaker state allowing her to cover large distance without a problem, and Taylor's Haste spell made traveling easier. Taylor also noticed that she easily jumped across rooftops without any tripping, or loss of balance or strain on her legs upon landing.

They stood on a building next to the warehouse, seeing a few E88 thugs standing outside as scouts.

"So, what's your plan here?" Asked Sophia.

"Reflect." Muttered the spell and a transparent hexagon ball of energy surrounded her. "I'm going crash in."

"Crash? What did you-" Sophia didn't have time to ask, as Taylor went to the edge of the roof they were on for a running start, and sprinted toward the warehouse.

Taylor reached the edge of the roof, gathered her energy once more and kicked off, jumping right through the air, heading to the heart of the warehouse.

She summoned her Keyblade as she descended, and brought it down breaking through the warehouse's roof and headed straight down. There were shouts and cries of surprise as she landed in the middle of the place, surrounded by astonished, wary and pissed off gangbangers and capes of the E88.

Taylor quickly scanned the crowd, already seeing the capes prepare and circle her, while the normal thugs brought out their guns and weapons. She saw Kaiser, sittng on an iron throne like he was a king. Arrogant asshole like she had heard from many people, but annoyingly he pulled it off. She faced him, raised her Keyblade pointing at him and spoke, her voice lanced with power and echoing across the building.

"Kaiser! You're under arrest, I'm bringing you in!"

Silence greeted her.

Someone chuckled. Followed by another and another. Soon laughter rang all around Taylor, yet she didn't let her stance and determination falter.

"Keyblade, correct?" Kaiser finally spoke. "Crusader has told me about you." Now that he mentions it, that is Crusader next to Kaiser looking heavily singed. "You came here into the heart of my people, all of these good men and women with a place to belong in this dangerous world we live in, and you would threaten them all, even threaten me."

 _He's being charismatic, making me feel guilty and stupid for rushing in, all at the same time._ If he wasn't the leader of a neo-nazi group and she was too pumped up on her momentum, it would have been possible for her to be impressed and feel foolish.

"You and Lung are the only ones making living here dangerous." Taylor fell back into a combat stance, and called on her magic. "So I'm taking you both out, starting with you." She didn't let the conversation continue any further, the more it went on, the more they prepared and the more Kaiser would try to pull her in with his spiel.

 _So, I'll pull you in._

"That is unfortunate." Kaiser sighed as though feeling genuinely disappointed.

"Magnet!" Taylor pumped her Keyblade into the air and called out her spell. A transparent sphere with a pink-redish glow within manifested.

Sadly, Kaiser wasn't caught off guard having seen Taylor preparing to act. All the E88 normals found their weapons and pieces of metal being pulled from them, linking and sticking to a flying sphere of magic. Hookwolf found himself being dragged as well when he began transforming. Kaiser wasn't affected, having bolted himself with his armor to the ground. The few metal crate around whined under the spell's pull but ultimately stayed in place.

"Very well the, if you want to lead a foolish life, then I will send you to a foolish death. Kill her." Said Kaiser.

Taylor found her Reflect sphere becoming visible and vibrating. She didn't know what attack this was or where it was coming from. Cricket tsk'd at her sound attack not getting through.

Kaiser didn't even order the normal thugs to fall back, they did so having gotten used to cape fights. Crusader's ghosts came again, only for the Reflect spell kept them at bay. Fenja and Menja took Kaiser's side, prepared to defend him.

Taylor gathered her Heart's energy again, preparing the spell to end it all.

 _"Mega_ -

Only for everything to fall apart. The Reflect sphere broke as a figure crashed through it moving at sound-breaking speeds. If Taylor could spare the thought, she would wonder how is it that no one kept their eyes on Night, allowing her to transform.

Victor was mouthing something to Othala as she moved back, having done her part in the fight by giving Night super-speed, to add to his abilities.

A sentient mist quickly surrounded the Keyblade Wielder, forcing her to inhale it and melt her insides.

"Esuna!" Taylor cried out and Fog found himself thrown out of Taylor's body, yet the damage he left was still there. She pushed through it, calling on her energy and spinning causing a whirlwind that pushed the surrounding capes away, giving her some breathing room. "Curag-"

Taylor quickly tried to cast her healing spell, only for Night to crash into her again, sending her flying. Taylor thought things couldn't get any worse, and then realized what she thought.

The Magnet spell ended, letting all the weapons fall and allowing Hookwolf enter the fight. Metal blades formed from his body as Hookwolf charged at Taylor who landed from Night's attack, quickly getting on her strained feet and barely brought up her Keyblade to hold back Hookwolf's blow. He kept transforming further and pushing her back. Her body ached, her chest and insides were burning, and she could feel blood coming up her throat. She needed a breather to heal.

Taylor dug her feet into the ground, stopping Hookwolf's charge, pushed hiss metal arm up, and swung the Keyblade upward into him. Many would expect the hit to be superficial. They would be wrong. Hookwolf was launched into the air, and Taylor followed her body's motion to jump with enough speed to appear teleporting and uppercut him with the Keyblade multiple times, before smacking him back down.

As she fell she found her breathing room. "Curaga!" A green light illuminated her and wounds were gone, her body sore but recovered.

Taylor then saw a ginormous sword slash down on her. Her energy came to her, allowing her to block the sword with her Keyblade and for her arms to not be vaporized the force of the blow. Fenja had joined the fight.

Sadly, Taylor only blocked the blade, not its decent. She found her body smacked down onto one of the metal crates, leaving an imprint on it. She gathered her energy, preparing to push and throw off Fenja and her sword.

Right then, a sword erupted from next to Taylor cutting through her body from the side and her back. More swords appeared piercing through her legs and shoulders. One sword pierced through her right lung and another through her heart. Her mind quickly moved trying to think of how this could have happened. She lost track of Kaiser. She could see him now, coming toward her as she was pinned down.

She tried to cast her strongest spell so far, mouth the words, but then the air was taken out of her lungs. _Stormtiger_ , she realized.

"It is truly a shame." Kaiser said as he stepped forward. "You would have been a fine addition to the Empire, but you chose to childishly assault us right in the middle of our gathering. I would applaud your bravery, if it wasn't so tainted with youthful naivety. Did you think we would cuddle you because you were a child? Crusader told me of your abilities, did you think you would get the chance to use them?" At some point Fenja had removed her blade and started to shrink down.

Taylor wanted to breath, her mouth moved but precious air was denied her. The sword in her body kept her in place, and sapped the life from her, as the blood-loss accumulated, along with the internal bleeding, and punctured heart and organs.

"Truly, such a shame." Seeing her weapon, Kaiser bent down and took it from her hands, only for it disappear in a flash of light. He gave a curious hmm and turned back, ignoring Taylor's glare as he headed toward his steel chair. "Alright, the excitement is over. We'll have to reschedule this meeting. Bring the car around and let's go." Kaiser said to one of his subordinates, treating the fighting with Taylor like a nice distraction.

Taylor laid their gasping air that would never come. Pain lanced through her body and her brain started to slow down.

She was dying. The thought came to her.

She was dying?

 _From this?_

Compared to everything Terra faced. Compared to the Unversed, to Master Eraqus, to the thousands of worlds that are now suffering because of Xehanort. This should be nothing.

So why did she lose? Why does everything hurt?

Compared to the Endbringers, to worlds suffering from endless monsters, to the Slaughterhouse Nine and Darkness corrupting and devouring people's hearts. This should be nothing.

There are hundreds of worse things, beings and causes of suffering in the universe, because the worlds are much bigger than that. She saw it through Terra's eye. All the strife and wars in her tiny world can't compare to the wars that ripped worlds and galaxies apart.

 _And yet she is dying from this one pitiful gang in her small pitiful city? **They are nothing!**_

 ** _"No."_**

Kaiser stopped talking to his underling. So had everyone who begun to mill around and work on cleaning things up and leaving—safe Stormtiger who was making sure she dies, while causally striking up a conversation. All of them stopped. Her voice, even when it shouldn't be possible for her to speak, rang out. There was no air, and yet her voice was heard all the same.

"Stormtiger?" Questioned Kaiser.

"I'm not giving her any air." Stormtiger replied, surprise coloring his tone.

 ** _"This is not over!"_**

A pillar of light exploded from Taylor's place on the ground, throwing back Stormtiger and pushing the E88 gangsters, cape and surrounding debris away from her.

"Fall back and prepare!" Shouted Kaiser, and quickly the E88 members began to move and mobilize once again.

The light began to die down, and a figure became visible.

In Taylor's place was a cape in armor. Black leather-like material covered her body, and over it was armor colored in gold and red, protecting her.

Taylor empowered by Terra's armor, gripped the Keyblade to stand facing Kaiser once more.

 ** _"Not when I've only just begun."_**

* * *

Sophia Hess was a creature of hate.

She hated how her powers had arbitrary weaknesses like electricity and toxic gas or chemicals that affected her body. She hated the Protectorate and their obsession with PR. She hated the Wards and how they are managed with kids glove, with everyone trying not to act like they were child soldiers when that's what they are and need to be, in a shit hole like Brockton Bay. Don't even get her started on this fucked up infected scum fest of a city. People were sheep, just hoping and begging that the gangs don't notice them, while licking the "Heroes" boots in gratitude for being there, even when the "Heroes" were completely fucking useless. She hated how gangsters, murders and rapist could just do whatever they pleased and walk in the sunlight like they had the right to belong in the world.

 _Thub-dub._

She hated the stuck up kids that couldn't imagine, having having a mother whose boyfriend is a fucking stoner that was robbing their families, and couldn't do anything about it without ending up in jail. She hated the ass kissing little shits, who were more like rats looking for any scraps from their betters, no matter how degraded they were forced to act. Even more, she hated the victims who are so sure of how bad their lives were, that they don't even try to fight back, same as those who stood to the side and acted like they saw nothing and heard nothing.

It is any wonder that Sophia used to hate Taylor Hebert, the skinny little girl who didn't defend herself even when her life was on the line (Sophia could imagine how the locker could have turned out very differently, how more extreme the result of the prank could have been, rather than Hebert's one day at the hospital). She actually stopped caring about the girl a long time ago, rough housing her just became a routine part of the day due to Emma. Wake up, go to school, shit on Hebert, listen to boring lessons, do classwork, lunch, shit on Hebert, classwork again, leave school, Wards bullshit, maybe some excitement if she was lucky, and go home (Sophia ignored that halfass shit team exercises whenever she could help it). So really, the girl was just background noise at that point. Then the locker happened, and out of that came something completely unexpected and interesting.

Yes, she "used to" hate Hebert's guts while also trying to ignore that the girl existed, till Emma brought her up again. But now? Now things where different.

The simple fact was, most times people stayed the same regardless of getting a cape power or not. If they were prey before, they would remain as prey even after gaining power, only now using said power to hide from the giant predator.

Hebert however didn't do that. The very next day, she returned and immediately started fighting back. Maybe, her power came with another personality? Maybe she finally let go of that bullshit about standing on the "higher moral ground". Or maybe that was her true self all along?

Sophia snorted. _Yeah, right._

No. Hebert broke and then in a phenomenally record time, remade herself, better and stronger than she ever were before. It wasn't her throwing her power around that caught Sophia's attention or how bullshit her power grew. It was the way Hebert went about with her powers. Hebert got powers, so she decided to leave Winslow and everyone in it behind, cutting off the weak links in her life. She felt that Sophia was a cape, so she decided to call her out for a fight, not even giving herself time to experiment with her new powers to find out what she can do.

No, Hebert didn't procrastinate, she leaped into action.

Fuck, Sophia couldn't remember the last time she felt this excited, or having this much fun. _Finally, someone that fought back. Someone that became strong._

 _Thub-dub._

Crusader and Rune came around, and Hebert went straight up against them. No "its not my fight", no "let's talk about this" or even care that she would be helping Sophia of all people. Hebert saw the Villains and didn't stand aside, she went up and fought them.  
 _  
That's what the fucking Heroes were suppose to be._

Hebert didn't placate or turn her eyes away from something wrong in front of her, and when she realized her powers were even stronger than she first thought, she headed out straight for the big Brockton Bay nazi kingpin. She didn't wait to think it through and let her doubts start fucking her up and make her chicken out. She didn't give them time to hear about her and prepare. She went straight into viper's pit and wrestled with the snakes. She didn't let Kaiser and his goons psyche her out, or ambush her. She fought and fought, not stopping, surrendering or asking for mercy. She was someone Sophia wouldn't have minded having as a partner.  
 _  
And now she's dying._

Sophia looked on as Taylor was impaled by Kaiser's sword while Stormtiger cut off her air. Sophia looked on as another worthy predator, a fighter, went out in fire and blaze. The way things should be and yet...  
 _  
And this fuck up world takes away something again. Something good. Just like they took-_

Sophia ripped up the thought before it could form. Her anger was back. The bitter calm seething was like an old familiar pain. It was surprising that it was gone as long as it did.

Hebert laid there dying, while the E88 just went about their business, trying to act like they didn't get shat on for a while and weren't terrified of a new cape possibly blowing them all up.

Sophia only came to watch. It's not like she and Hebert were friends, or could have even ended up as friends. She wasn't so stupid as to ignore the past, and yet...

 ** _Thub-dub._**

Sophia scoffed at the odd sense of melancholy.

She brought out her phone, and made the call to the PRT.

"Hello, this is the designated phone of-"

"Shadow Stalker, code 88V2GH-YMCA."

"Confirmation code recognized. Nice to meet you, Shadow Stalker. Is there-"

"Okay look, you're obviously new so I'll make this quick. Don't chat with me. I don't do chats. Lock on to my location here at the north-west of the docks. There is a warehouse the Empire is gathering at. A shitton of them. Look like they were having a meetin, or a party or some shit. An unknown cape was fighting them, but they didn't make it and-"

 ** _"No."_**

She heard it. A voice that echoed like metal whining under stress as it vibrated. It was Hebert's voice, raging and defiant.

 ** _"This is not over!"_**

A massive column of light exploded from Hebert's position, and from it Taylor appeared once more like a judge from hell in black, gold and red armor about to share some of Hitler's spanking time with the rest of the neo-nazis.

 ** _"Not when I've only just begun."_**

The revived armored Taylor, floated in mid-air, the image in tranquility. Then she moved and everyone's shit was fuck up. She slammed once into Kaiser throwing him back into his iron chair, cracking his armor, and denting him into his chair, making him appear like an adult sitting in one of those safety chairs for babies at fast food restaurants.

The E88 capes moved again. Night dash at Taylor's back, only for her weapon to transform into some sort of whip, wrap around the monstrous cape and slam her into Hookwolf. Then she let go of Night and fired a giant ice boulder at the monstrous cape, freezing her into a cape-popsicle. Fog and Crusader attacked, the mist cape surrounding Taylor, while the phantoms attack her from all sides and were hidden within the fog. Taylor simply waved her weapon as though using her Keyblade to bitchslap a fly and Fog collectively flew away while crashing back into human form, holding his chest and stomach in pain.

"Hehehe..." Sophia felt a grin stretch across her face. "Hehehe..." She just couldn't help it. Yes, predator hunt prey, but sometimes, "hahahahahahaha!" It means shit all against a predator that breaks the ecosystem. _"Hahahahahahaha!"_

 ** _Thub-dub._**

Cricket went to Othala for a power-up, and dashed toward Taylor with her limbs on fire. Taylor split her Keyblade into two giant gauntlets on top of her already armored arms, and _teleported_ in front of the sound using cape, greeting Cricket with a massive fist.

"-Stalker! Shadow Stalker, do you copy!?"

Oh right. The bitch was still on the phone.

"Ahahaha, oh, oh boy. Yes, yes, I fucking hear you. Correction; An unknown cape _is_ fighting the Empire right now. All of them. Yes, I did say that. Send back up to my location. I'll see if I can keep the cape alive. Bye."

"Shadow Stalker, wait! Please do not-"  
 _  
Click!_

Sophia closed her phone and then hid it on the rooftop she was on, the PRT can follow the tracking signal to it, and she won't have to listen to annoying distractions.

Right, that's it.

This? What Taylor was doing? Cleaning house on the nazi Empire like that?

Taylor engaged Cricket, the nazi cape barely able to dodge with her life, her fire attacks combined with her soundwaves doing jack and shit all to the armored Taylor. Alabaster joined the fray, having gained a super-strength power from Othala to complement his resetting regeneration. Taylor's weapon rejoined into one, become a drill attached to her arm, that she thrust into Alabaster's torso, blowing him back and through an iron crate. Even with his regeneration he seemed a bit dazed before he rejoined the fight again. The drill gauntlet transformed into two parts and span around Taylor leaving gears of light in their wake, hitting the Cricket attacking from behind and deflecting the downward spear of Menja.

Most of the E88 thugs finally wised up that they can't win and began to bail, only for Taylor to crush their delusions. She summoned another red and blue energy sphere, and this time it didn't affected metal, but people. Seeing all those E88 thugs attached to floating ball like it was a nazi magnet was hilarious. Stormtiger was also pulled in. Hookwolf held on to his place by digging with everything he had into the ground, while Fenja and Menja had to fight to move away from the energy sphere. No such luck for Cricket, Crusader and Alabaster who were pulled in after Taylor smack them into the air.

Sophia wanted in.

 ** _Thub-dub._**

Shadow Stalker moved, jumping down from building, already formulated how to help in this fight. In the chaos, as she moved from one object to another, she was practically invisible with everyone's focus on Taylor. Shadow Stalker knew who her first target would be.

Vicktor sense the wave of arrows before he saw them, he moved easily enough to deflect them, predicting how his wife, Othala might be targeted. Except he saw a cold ball of black mist pass through him. _Shadow Stalker!_ He realized, he knew the timing of how long Shadow Stalker's arrows stayed phased when they left her. He easily enough twisted and prepare to toss the obvious grenade aside as it transformed back-

It was a rock. Shadow Stalker had thrown a rock at them. He saw the grenade coming from the opposite direction toward Othala. He ran to push her out of the way, but he was too late. He reached Othala only for the bomb to go off, enveloping her and his arm in white polymer foam.

Yes, Sophia was an ambush predator, she waited for her prey to make a mistake then she pounced on them, and never let up when one showed a weakness.

 ** _Thub-dub._**

That didn't mean she couldn't evolve to hunt them down, and rip their throats out with her fangs, head on.

 ** _A Heart is connected. A Link is formed._**

* * *

Kaiser watched as his Empire crumbled before him.

It happened all too fast. This, this miserable, pathetic, little _girl_ was taking everything he built and ruining it to the ground, grinding it to dust. He removed himself from his chair, breaking it down and forming his swords out of it, only to find an imminent need to bolt himself to the ground as she made that red and blue sphere again, except it was magnetic toward people, not metals.

He saw how most of his capes where injured or indisposed. Othala should be able to patch them up quickly, only for that rat of a Ward to appear _out of nowhere_ and foam Othala, putting her out of the fight along with Vicktor who was stuck to the foam shell.

 _Is this a coordinated attack by the Protectorate? Is she a new cape they gained recently? No. My spies would have informed me had that been the case. Crusader said she is a new cape who was just on her first day out. How can she possible be this strong or this skilled then? WHO THE HELL IS SHE!?  
_  
The idea that she might be Eidolon in disguise didn't seem that far fetched. In fact, that might be a way to salvage the Empire's reputation after the battle is donw. Just start rumors telling everyone that it was Eidolon that ambushed them. Some idiots are bound to believe that.

Finally energy sphere seemed to reach whatever time limit it had and dispersed. His capes and subordinates were finally free. The parahumans moved into action. The mundane humans moved to flee, but that was to be expected in a battle such as this.

The armored cape seem to have a different opinion. Six drone-like objects made of hard light materialized and flew about, firing tasering shots at anyone who moved. His normal thugs and gangsters were tased and fell down in droves.

Fenja and Menja moved, dashing toward the armored cape, attacking with everything they had. All the speed and power of his Valkyrie giantesses fell upon the cape. The gold knight grunted, buckling under the weight and strength of their combined assaults as she parried and blocked the colossal spear or blade.

No, his Empire still stood and he would not let it fall here and now, to this twisted hand of fate thrown upon him. No, they will win and make that girl pay for ever thinking of crossing the Empire. If the Dragon of Kyushu couldn't burn them out, this upstart won't even be given a chance.

Kaiser's blades exploded in growth from his steel gauntlets, firing at the flying drones and making a wall separating his normal subordinate from drones.

"You there! 10 of you, go send a message to Krieg to come with the tinker guns. Yes, those! The rest of you, be useful for your brothers and the race. Get the heaviest artillery around, grenades, RPGs, doesn't matter what. Get them and wait for my signal, then fire everything at the race traitor!" Kaiser commanded and his old power and charisma drove them into action. He turned back to the battlefield to see the cohesion being reformed in his troops.

Cricket and Alabaster attacked the hard light drones, using hit and ran tactics to destroy the projected laser drones, while having them focus on just the two of them. Stormtiger tried his tactics of causing a vacuum around the armored cape once more, only to see it was ineffective, he resorted to directly overwhelming her rapid cutting wind slashes. The armored cape somehow was parrying pure blades of air and sometimes redirecting them, into Fenja or Menja.

Menja taking another redirected wind blast along with a hit by the cape's odd weapon, fell backwards. On to the ice block left of the cape's attack on Night breaking it to pieces. Astonishingly, Night was free, alive and whole.

 _Yes, the battle tide was finally returning to the Empire. Beginners luck could only last so long._ Thought Kaiser in triumph.

"Stormtiger, help Fog in making sure Night is covered at all times. Menja, get Vicktor and Othala- GAAAAAAH!" Kaiser roared as he felt a stabbing pain in his torso, and saw an arrow sticking out of his side. He heard giggling from no seen source fading away from him. _Shadow Stalker! You fucking little shit!_ He swore he heard that giggling again before it disappeared.

"Kaiser!" He heard Fenja shout for him, her distraction nearly costed her, if it wasn't for Hookwolf... jumping head first in an attempt to bite the armored cape, only to be swat aside, as the gold knight flew in a dash-by, swinging his weapon like a bloody child in a parade.

Night dashed in unseen speeds... and found herself suddenly flying through the air having transformed back mid-jump. Who the hell can manage to follow her? And would be dumb enough to actually try when all his subordinates are taught to never look at Night in a cape fight-

 _Shadow Stalker!_ Kaiser realized. He didn't know were the child was in all this chaos or why she seems to be acting differently to her usually modus operandi, but when he gets his hands on her, that little nigger will _burn._

Thankfully, Night was caught by one of Crusader's ghosts who opt to stay out of the fighting for now. Kaiser could see that every hit to the phantoms by the armored cape hurt Crusader himself, not only that, but the gold knight needed only one swing to cleave through a wall of ghosts, making Crusaders efforts painful and pointless.

Menja dig her hands into the ground surrounding Vicktor and the foamed Othala, only for Shadow Stalker to suddenly appear from under Menja's arm and rapidly climb up the giant cape's arm like some sort of monkey cockroach. Menja tried to swat the little nigger bug aside, only for black Ward to display a bizarre agility, as her form lengthened and bent in ways that she never used before.

Meanwhile, Night was able to transform again so that was a small blessing, except the armored cape had changed his weapon into an odd bow and fired a laser missile on the dashing Night, when her speed should have made her all but invisible. The disturbing thing that followed was a black caged orb with a blue glow within appeared next to Night, who transformed back looking confused and not sure on what to do. The effect of this blue orb became apparent when Fog and Crusader were hit next and realized _they can't use their powers!_

 _Oh fuck me up the ass, even Eidolon isn't this terrifying. She's Scion crossdressing._

This had to stop. He needed to regain control of this battle.

Kaiser moved to command this warriors, groaning from the pain in his side but pushing through it all the same. He wouldn't let pain stop him. He pulled the arrow out, nearly biting his tongue, but held back a pained cry. He covered the wound with tiny flexible interlocking swords, and made sure to keep the blood in. It should work as a temporary solution till he reached Othala. Thankfully the wound wasn't that deep. Kaiser moved, launching swords at the flying caged orbs over and over, breaking them and letting his cape soldiers stand up once more. He moved with Hookwolf and Alabaster, closing in on the knight. Alabaster rushed forward, his skills, along with his Othala empowered super-strength, allowing him to reach higher heights in combat.

Or it should have before the armored cape disappeared teleported behind Alabaster and uppercut him into the sky. Kaiser faintly noted that the warehouse they were in was damaged enough that there is no longer a roof. His swords exploded out of his body, slicing at the knight from every angle, and actually showing damage on the armored cape for the first time. Only for all the scratches and scraps to heal, as though the armor itself was alive. Hookwolf dashed forward, his jaw opened and big enough to swallow the knight whole, only for the armored cape to block the gaping maw with his tall weapon, stopping the metal wolf's rampage in his tracks.

Cricket jumped on top of the knight, seeing him stalled by keeping Hookwolf in place and blasted him with her strongest sonic blast through her helmet. She was met by the knight turning her head slightly back, to look at the blond gymnast cape, and then returned back to the metal wolf. Cricket shouted out loud at the insult of not being considered a threat worthy of attention any longer, and renewed her assault with raged vigor.

The knight moved, pushing Hookwolf back, and smacking him with such forced that a sonic boom erupted from the weapon's wake, being visible enough to throw off Cricket, who quickly backflipped to avoid the follow up attack by the knight, only for the knight to teleport behind her faster than she could think and punch her into the ground. Night appeared from behind the knight, only for her attack to be thwarted by the knight blocking, then backflipped themselves, and spun slashing at the monstrous cape and throwing her back.

Kaiser use this opportunity and created a floor of metal blade to surround the armored cape and them having the blade rush up toward the knight, till they were standing on one giant blade that would spell her doom as it fell on them. Of course, the knight had to dispel that notion, but bringing her arm back and throwing her weapon breaking through and shattered the building of swords till it reached the ground and blowing up with some hidden energy, leaving a crater behind.

Frustratingly enough, the weapon wasn't destroyed and simply appeared in the knight's hand with a flash of light.

As the cape descended, Hookwolf launched himself at her, grabbing her even as she blocked the attack with her weapon and slammed her body into the ground, where Alabaster was waiting with what appeared to be a bazooka supplied by some of the E88 thugs still around.

They gave Kaiser a thumbs up, and he had to stop himself from sneering. Alabaster shot the armored cape in the head with the anti-tank rocket, before jumping back to the E88 gangsters to reload.

"-waste of time on someone so insignificant."

Kaiser heard the last of a conversation Fenja was having with someone. Ah, it seemed that Shadow Stalker was challenging the twins, when they decided that the nigger girl was beneath them. Shadow Stalker shouted many colorful profanities and ultimately ignored.

Back to the armored cape, Hookwolf was biting and clawing at the cape, trying to break through her armor, before Night appeared, this time with Fog arriving too, trying to break a hole into the armor to allow the mist cape his chance to kill the girl once more. The armored cape then moved her other free arm and all three capes were hit simultaneously by the lightening fast weapon transformed into a whip. Alabaster was back with the reloaded rocket launcher, and fired once more at the gold knight, only for the knight to catch the rocket mid-flight and throw it at Hookwolf.

The battle was going on for too long. Kaiser did not survive this long by engaging in fruitless, he had to begin considering his options to fall back and regrou-

No, he still had numbers and firepower on his side. He will kill this persistent little insect, come hell or high tide.

Fenja then jumped into the battle, squashing the knight under her shield. She removed her shield off the cape and in turn thrust her blade in a downward stab, wanting to bisect the annoying knight, only for the armored cape's weapon to grow in size and thwart aside the blond Valkyrie's blade. Fenja saw the weapon's end pointed at her gather energy and quickly jumped back bringing her shield up. A giant sphere of light slammed into her shield breaking it and launching Fenja further away from the battlefield.

Menja, in a cry of rage throw her spear with unwavering accuracy at the armored cape, only for them to rush up and run along the flying spear, jumping off its end and smacking Menja in the face with their weapon. Menja hit by an unexpected force that left her dizzy began to fall back from her loss of balance.

Kaiser looked around the battleground to find Vicktor and his foamed wife were thankfully a safe distance away, but annoyingly useless as he needed Othala's power right now.

And then a sweet merciful sound arrived.

A familiar helicopter came into the scene, now their tinkertech weapons would help them immensely and with Kreig assisting too, this battle would have quite the turn. Kaiser's cellphone rang.

"Kreig, finally some good news-"

"The nazi you are calling is currently being fucked by an African Queen, please give a message to Fenja after the beep. 'Beep'."

 _"WHAT!?"_

"WHOSE INSIGNIFICANT NOW, FUCK DOLL!"

The helicopter twirled and crashed into the recovering giantess, knocking her out.

"SHADOW STALKER!" Kaiser roared in rage, he couldn't believe that that black shitstain could be such a headache. This battle, the injuries they are sustaining both physically and to their reputation. He couldn't imagine things getting worse.

 ** _"Ars Bellum."_**

The knight spoke for the second time since she re-awoken, her voice like singing iron.

Kaiser saw the armored cape raise her Keyblade to the sky, glowing with red aura while spewing lightning, and what he can only be described as a magical circle lightening up the ground with four pillars of light surrounding her.

The neo-nazi leader came to a decision.

It was time to gracefully retreat.

* * *

I felt like I was asleep. I felt like I was awake. I felt like I was swimming. I felt like I was skydiving.

Most of all, I felt _alive._

Not in some adrenaline rush sort of felt but in a sense of living, in which one knows, _knows_ at the core of their being, that they are a creation of this universe, infinite in consciousness and spirit, unbound by the illusions of the body and master of their destiny.

The concept of "everything is possible" was no longer a thought or idea. It became an actualized reality, made by my will.

The Empire Eighty-Eight with all their powers, weapon and numbers attacked me, and it was like a child tickling me. They brought their powers and might and I answered in turn.

I could have ended the whole fight with one Mega Flare spell.

And yet I wanted to know, could I really win this? Where my feeling only that? Feelings. The wish fulfillment of a delusional girl. Or were they a truth that can't be mocked or denied?

So I fought, changing my Keyblade's—End of the Earth's—form, casting one magic after another that before would have been exhausting. Moving and battling with maneuvers that would have left swordmasters and martial artist envious.

I saw the Empire's war on me as a challenge and I welcomed it with all my heart.

Then I saw Sophia enter the battleground, and I was stumped for a moment. Sophia was a bully, and bullies are cowards. That's a well known fact. Yet Sophia eagerly and happily jumped to fight at my side. Sure she was an annoyance to the E88 at best, yet she was an annoyance that didn't back down. Maybe it wasn't important to think about such complications now. Maybe this is what they were meant to do. Heroes unite against a more dangerous foe. Not that Sophia was a hero, more like a fighting junkie, yet that bravery is to be appreciated, right?

Then I felt it in my heart. My Light pulsing, glowing and throbbing.

The Empire kept on attacking violently and desperately, the more I stayed standing, the more I refused to fall down. They were an infectious diseases that were on their last leg, fighting to survive when the immune system was done with their shit.

The Light of my Heart pulse, and a tranquil serene note sang out my soul.

My will was steeled. I would win this war and be the Hero to save this world from its headway to a rotting oblivion.

 ** _"Ars Bellum."_**

I called on the techniques of war to end war, and My Heart and Terra's Will responded and resonated.

I moved, vanishing between the bounds of space. I reappeared in front of Hookwolf, dismantling his form with two slashes, and striking him back to human with a third. He was out of the fight, his body no longer capable of transforming right now.

Because I wasn't only attacking his physical form. I understood now. The Keyblade was metaphysical object, it can interact with elements on multiple and deeper dimensions. I attacked his physical body and the embodiment behind his power, thus his energy would be depleted. He couldn't fight me anymore, in one form or the other.

Fog, Crusader, Alabaster, Cricket and Stormtiger; I flashed between them, slamming them with my Keyblade transformed into the shape of battle axe, like Hookwolf, not only attacking their bodies but their powers.

Night surprisingly managed to attack and land a punch on me in my accelerated state. I blocked her attack, and for her efforts, the guarding counter spell, Stopra, activated and froze Night in time. I attacked her, body and power too, and when time resumed, she fell like those before her.

Fenja was thankfully out of the fight due to Shadow Stalker, something I didn't expect but welcomed all the same. I suppose I should feel something for Sophia actually managing that... gratitude? Odd, my anger seems inaccessible at the moment.

Krieg tried to... do something. I never gave him the chance, before he could comprehend I had slashed him seven times, my blows leaving no physical mark, but injuring him just the same. He couldn't stand the pain and fell unconscious. He will be fine. There is no extensive damage.

Finally it was Menja, who took on her sister's sword, in absence of her spear. She swung her sword perfectly at me, I flew and smash it with my Keyblade, slashing my weapon with such power that it burned the air with the fires of a thousand bombs, and all that force gathered at the single point on the tip of Ends of the Earth. All that power focused, concentrated and divided just right. A single hit to Menja and she broke along with her power broke. Her form returning back to human.

I might have overdone it with my last attack. I look for my final enemy, the leader of the E88, Kaiser. Except he is nowhere to be seen. I scan for him, and ahh, he ran away. Took a car and drove like a madman away from the battle and war that he knew he couldn't win.

I healed all the fallen members of the Empire still around and cast a Sleep spell so all my efforts weren't in vain. I didn't want them to die or escape after all my hard work.

My Keyblade answered my will, and turned into a flying glider. It zapped through the air, catching up to Kaiser, and with a drift turn, cut his getaway vehicle in half. He jumped out of the broken wreckage, only to be greeted by my magic almightened fist, and he was out like a light.

I took him back to the destroyed spot of a warehouse. It made it easier to have all the Villains in one place.

I felt it there, serenity. Justice and good had won the day. Finally after so long, the Empire Eighty-Eight were thwarted. A cloud that had covered Brockton Bay for so long was now pierced by the warm sun, shining light and hope through.

Soon enough, the roar of a motorcycle unlike any I've ever heard before reached me. Then again I don't listen to a lot of motorcycle engines.

"Y-you..." Armsmaster, the Brockton Bay Protectorate leader looks at my accomplishment and is lost for words. Well, I suppose I can acknowledge Shadow Stalker had helped.

"Who are you!?" He finally settles on asking.

Who am I?

Truly, that's quite the question wasn't it.

I'm not Terra, that's obvious enough.

I am a Keyblade Wielder, a Defender of the Light. I can't say that though, it wouldn't make sense to the people of my world.

I am a knight, that's what I wanted to aspire to. A paragon of goodness like those in old fairy tales. But I didn't want to swear loyalty a person. I don't want to serve others. People can make mistakes or become greedy and selfish.

An oath then, but which?

I looked into my Heart and the answer was clear.

I would swear to defend the weak and the innocent. To fight against the cruel and the wicked. And to always fulfill my promises.

It was a promise that set me on this path, Terra, and it's my promise to you that will let me see it through.

Ah, the rest of the Protectorate, PRT and Wards arrived.

"I am Oath Keeper." I replied. I had used too much of my powers, I know that soon enough I will crash for having exhausted myself so. "You explain the rest." I told Sophia, like she was my partner, and wasn't that the oddest feeling. She gave me a mock salute, and I turned to leave.

"Wait!" Armsmaster ran toward me.

I was already gone.

* * *

Emily Piggot felt like ripping her hair out.

A new cape had arrived at the Brockton Bay scene. That was fine and dandy, capes appeared in her city like bunnies fucking in a ranch. There is one every month. The question becomes, whether they will give her a headache or ease her existing one. Surprisingly becoming a Hero didn't always ease her suffering, but it was always better than them ending up adding to the ranks of the existing gangs.

This cape however, Oath Keeper (and what lovely connotations that name has), decided to enter the cape scene in a way unlike any other. They didn't make a ripple or a splash, oh no. Apparently, misses fucking big shot, decided to take out the biggest gang in her city on their first day out.

Fucking. Lovely.

Now she needs to have her troops and the Protectorate ready for the inevitable showdown when Lung decides to make a statement on the E88 being gone, or those blood sucking Merchants trying to hop in on the action just for the hell of it.

Even worse, that left a terrifying power vacuum behind, that gangs from cities hundreds of miles away would smell and come running to fill up.

Gang war was always on the horizon in Brockton Bay. Now the time on the clock was shaved down by two thirds.

Then there was Shadow Stalker.

Contact with Oath Keeper had caused the wayward girl to gain a boost in capabilities, along with a... subtle mental aspect. At least that's the suspected diagnosis so far. Right now Sophia Hess was kept under Master/Stranger protocol till Piggot was sure as her destroyed kidneys would kill her if she drinks, that the girl is safe and fine before releasing her. Hess seemed the same more or less, but now there were times when she... wasn't angry.  
 _  
And isn't it fucked up that,_ that's _what causes the red flag._

Hess has always been a problem, but she was a predictable problem. Now her being easy going or joking at times is freaking everyone out. Clockblocker was convinced that she's an evil clone of the original Sophia Hess, and to that stupid childish theory, Hess didn't get angry or blow up in his face about it.

Oh no, she smiled.

She smiled, and Clockblocker screamed and ran like the Devil was after him.

All of this was bringing her headaches on top of her headaches. She needed to find this Oath Keeper and get her under control before she ends up causes collateral damage that would sink this city.

* * *

"And that's the news on the E88, sir."

Lung sat in his living room, having heard from one of his subordinate the fate of the Empire, that the PRT was now finally address on the television.

"Go," with only the single command, the boy practically ran out of the apartment, not wanting to stay in the presence of the dragon any more than he needed to.

Lung always knew the Empire would fall. They were weak roaches that hide behind their gathered numbers. They could never hold true strength, and yet he believed the Empire would fall by _his_ hands. Only his challenge and victory was taken from him by a no-name cape. Some wet-behind-the-ears child who had yet to see anything of the real world. A cape that beat them through sheer luck of having the right powers.

Their arrogance would bring them before Lung, and he would crush those naive thoughts out of them.

He could feel his blood heat up within his veins.

The dragon always welcomed any challenge and warriors inevitably always sought to test their might against him. They would fall all the same, and with fire and blood, Lung would reign supreme.

* * *

 _How utterly interesting.  
_  
It was a better turn of events than Coil could ever ask for.

His plans for taking over the Brockton Bay underworld advanced by months, nay, years with the E88 gone all in one day.  
 _  
No, they aren't gone yet. I'll have to make arrangements to make sure their prison transfers are completely successful.  
_  
It was funny in its own way. He wanted to undermine the PRT in order to take it over and control it.

But with an opportunity like this?

Well, life has a strange way of making you work with unexpected allies.

* * *

The old wizard, Yen Sid, was unable to help but feel his age drag onto him. The machinations of Xehanort had proven too subtle, too malicious in their nature for the aged wizard to fully anticipate.

His latest scheme of interrupting Sora and Riku's test before it even began, showed how terrifying devious the Seeker of Darkness was. He was always ten steps ahead of them. Yes, the warriors of Light had pull through and gain victory again and again, yet it always seemed to have been barely enough.

Their latest ordeal is a testament to that. The losses they have suffered; it pained him just to think about them.

In theory Xehanort shouldn't have any future knowledge to lean on, or manipulate the destiny of, yet that was in no way comforting.

Yen Sid had already began Kairi's training as a Keyblade Wielder, and that had brought about unexpected, but most welcome, results.

But it wasn't enough. The Guardians of Light needed something more. Another card in their fold that would allow them to stand once more on equal footing to Xehanort and his Seekers of Darkness.

As the old wizard continued to think and ponder the future, a miraculous sight appeared before him.

Upon the vast sky a new star was born.

A star shone with familiar light once thought to be lost forever.

 _Could it be? Has Terra escaped the heart of the abyss and returned?_

No.

The Light was similar to the fallen Keyblade Wielder, yet the star was of different origin and position, thus a different destiny.

Most intriguing but even more, it was a chance.

A chance for new Light to bring about new hope.

Yen Sid called upon his former apprentice, for action needed to be taken, and a new Keyblade Wielder needed to be initiated to the vast cosmos they are now a part of.


End file.
